China's Sun Sibei overcomes warmup crash to claim historic Asian Games BMX freestyle park gold
Sun Sibei of China competes during the women's park final of cycling BMX freestyle at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Sept. 27, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)
NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- China's Sun Sibei recovered from a warmup crash and a disappointing first run to win with 93.80 points on her second attempt on Sunday as the women's BMX freestyle park event made its Asian Games debut.
Japan's Miharu Ozawa took silver with 91.20 points, while China's Sun Jiaqi claimed bronze with 90.20.
Six riders from China, Japan, South Korea and Malaysia contested the final at Aichi Sky Expo. BMX freestyle park, which made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games in 2021, was contested at the Asian Games for the first time at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
The danger of the discipline was evident from the opening run. Malaysia's Mohd Nor Aszeril Nur Airen Sofea crashed before completing her routine, and Ozawa also ran into trouble on her first attempt, scoring just 25.60.
Sun Sibei, the first Chinese rider to compete, posted 85.60. Sun Jiaqi then thrilled the crowd with a series of aerial tricks, scoring 86.80 to lead after the first round.
Ozawa transformed the contest on her second run, landing a sequence of difficult tricks to post 91.20 and move into first. Sun Sibei answered with a flowing, high-difficulty routine worth 93.80, reclaiming the lead with one rider still to come.
Sun Jiaqi improved to 90.20 on her final run and celebrated on completion, but the score left her one point shy of silver. She appeared disappointed when the result was displayed, drawing sympathetic applause from spectators.
"I did everything I had planned," Sun Jiaqi said afterward, adding that she was pleased with her performance. Asked about her longer-term goal, she replied: "To surpass myself."
Sun Sibei said her warmup crash had made her question whether she could perform at her best. Her first run, though enough to place her second at the halfway point, had fallen short of her expectations.
She added that Ozawa's second-round score added to the pressure, but dwelling on it would have disrupted her own rhythm. "I had to focus on every move in my run," she said.
Sun Sibei said winning the inaugural Asian Games title had strengthened her determination to pursue another goal: "I hope I can make it to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics."
Sun Sibei of China celebrates after the women's park final of cycling BMX freestyle at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Sept. 27, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)
Sun Jiaqi of China competes during the women's park final of cycling BMX freestyle at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Sept. 27, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)
Sun Sibei of China competes during the women's park final of cycling BMX freestyle at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Sept. 27, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)
Sun Jiaqi of China competes during the women's park final of cycling BMX freestyle at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Sept. 27, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)
Sun Sibei of China competes during the women's park final of cycling BMX freestyle at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Sept. 27, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)
Sun Jiaqi of China competes during the women's park final of cycling BMX freestyle at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Sept. 27, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)